Packages for comminuted materials



April 17, 1962 c. w. VOGT PACKAGES FOR COMMINUTED MATERIALS Original Filed Sept. 21, 1956 INVENTOR CLARENCE W V067 1W ATTORNEYS Uited States This invention relates to the art of packaging and more particularly to packages for comminuted fiowable material that is form remaining, yet moldable when packaged and readily disturbed, such as flour, pancake or cake mixes, gelatinous materials or the like.

This is a division of my U.S. application Serial No. 611,231, filed September 21, 1956, (now abandoned), which is a continuation-in-part of copending applications Serial Nos. 594,152, filed June 27, 1956, now Patent No. 2,935,233 and Serial No. 599,632, filed July 23, 1956, now Patent No. 2,974,452.

As conducive to an understanding of the invention, it is noted that for ease in handling and economy of storage, it is desirable that packages be rectangular in shape, preferably in the form of a parallelepiped. Where individual packages are formed that are triangular in cross section and which are then juxtaposed to form a package that is rectangular in cross section, the packaging operation is much more time consuming than it would be if the rectangular package were formed in a single operation and in addition would require much more wrapping material.

Where a container is formed from sheet material and requires mechanism for end folding the material, the forming operation is time consuming and adds greatly to the cost of the finished package. In addition, there is the likelihood that some of the material being packaged will be trapped between the end folds with resultant waste when the package is emptied.

Where containers are formed from sheet plastic that is molded into rectangular form with lateral fins for sealing of a cover member thereon and the sheet must be relatively thick to permit stretching to the desired shape without rupture, as the fin portion, which is unstretched, would be relatively thick, it could not be bent flush against the container and might crack or tear. As a result, in assembling a multi-unit package having a number of individual containers, as they cannot be closely juxtaposed, the multi-unit packages would have relatively great bulk. In addition, the cost of the relatively thick plastic sheet adds greatly to the overall cost of the completed package.

Accordingly an object of the invention is to provide a package that may readily be opened without the use of extra pull-strips, perforation or tearing of the plastic maerial and without deformation of the package except for the portion thereof which is opened.

According to the present invention, the container comprises trough-shaped base and cover members of relatively thin sheet plastic, each of said members having a fin extending laterally from the mouth thereof. The base and cover members are preferably triangular in cross section and of complementary configuration so that when juxtaposed they will form substantially a parallelepiped.

In a preferred embodiment a U-shaped reinforcement member has its cross piece extending parallel to a side wall of one of the members and has its legs extending parallel to and lying flush against the end walls of the base and cover members.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a container embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

atent FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a reinforcement member; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the container showing the pull tab.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention herein shown and described, the packages formed by the equipment comprises a container 24 (FIGS. 1 and 2) having a base member 21 and a cover member 22, each desirably formed from a relatively thin sheet of thermoplastic material such as Saran, polyethylene, polyvinyl resin or the like. The base and cover members 21 and 22 are trough-shaped as shown, each illustratively triangular in cross section having side walls 23, 24 and 25, 25 extending from their apices 27, 28 and substantially parallel end walls 29, 31. ,The mouths 32, 33 of the base and cover member are desirably of the same size and each has an outstanding peripheral fin 34, 35 which is an integral part thereof.

When the base and cover members 21 and 22 are juxtaposed with their fins 34, 35 in engagement and secured together to form fin seals, a parallelepiped willbe formed having fin seals along the side walls thereof and extending diametrically across the end walls thereof.

As shown in FIGURE 4, a portion of the fin 35 of the cover member 22 at the end thereof as at 35a is not sealed to the associated portion of fin 34 of base member 21 to provide an integral tab for ready opening of the completed package in the manner hereinafter described.

Desirably the base and cover members 21 and 22 are of complementary configuration so that the resultant package will be square in cross section.

In order to prevent deformation of the package in the case of packaging comminuted and fiowable form retaining, but deformable material such as flour, cake mixes, gelatinous mixtures and the like, a reinforcement members 41 is desirably provided. This member, as shown in FIG. 3 is a relatively stiff substantially U-shaped strip of cardboard, for example, having a substantially rectangular cross piece 42 desirably coextensive with a side wall of one of the trough-like members 21 and 22 and rectangular legs 43 desirably coextensive with the end wall of the completed container, said end walls 43 desirably being diagonally scored as at 44 to permit ready bending thereof for facility of removal of the container in the manner hereinafter described from the mold in which it is filled.

The member 41 may be coated with wax. It is to be noted that the portion 35a of the film 35 of the cover member is not pressed against the associated portion of the fin 34 of the base member and hence will not adhere thereto. However, the ends of the cover member will adhere to the wax coated surface of the legs 43 of the reinforcement member and an air-tight bond will still be formed even at the region of the unsecured portion 35a.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cross piece is positioned in the base member 21 so as to extend parallel to and rest against the side wall 23 thereof. With the cross piece so positioned the portion 45 of the legs 43 between the score line 44 and the apex 27 of the base member will rest against the end wall 29 and the portion 46 of the legs 43 above the score line 44 will extend beyond the mouth 32 of base member 21 and rest against the end walls 31 of the cover member 22, the ends 47 of legs 43 resting against the side wall 26 of the cover member adjacent the end wall 31 thereof.

The width of legs 43 at the ends 47 thereof preferably is slightly less than its width at its opposed end so that the protruding portion 46 will be slightly tapered to facilitate removal from the mold in which the package is formed.

By reason of the unsecured portion or tab 35a, it is a readily simple matter for the package to be opened. Thus, by pulling the portion 35a (FIG. 4) toward the apex of the leg 43 of the reinforcement member 41 in cover member 22, the plastic material may be stretched until it is clear of the portion 46 of said leg 43. Such stretching without tearing of the material is affected by reason of the fact that the plastic bonds releasably to the wax coating on the leg 43 of the reinforcement member. Thereupon, the portion 46 may be bent outwardly along score line 44 to provide a mouth for removal of the contents of the package.

When the desired quantity has been removed from the package, the leg portion 46 may be moved inwardly and the plastic material restored to again close the package.

As the packages thus formed have no end folds, no trapping will occur of any of the material being packaged.

As many changes could be made in the above package without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A package of the character described comprising trough-like base and cover members, each of thermoplastic material, each of said troughs being substantially triangular in cross section and having substantially parallel end Walls and an outstanding fin at the edges of the end and side walls of said troughs remote from the apices thereof, said fins being secured together to define fin seals extending along the juxtaposed side edges of the resultant receptacle and substantially diagonally across the end Walls thereof, a substantially U-shaped reinforcement member in said receptacle, said reinforcement member having a rectangular cross piece and a pair of rectangular legs, said cross piece extending parallel to a side wall of the receptacle and said legs extending parallel to the end Walls of the receptacle, a portion of said legs extending from one of the troughs into the other trough, the

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peripheries of said extending portion resting against the side wall of said other trough adjacent the end wall thereof, a portion of the fin of the trough-shaped member into which the portion of said legs extend at one end of said trough-shaped member, being spaced from the associated portion of the fin of the other member.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which the legs of the reinforcement member has a wax coating and the plastic material adheres to said coating.

3. A package for form-retaining material still in moldable form, comprising trough-like base and cover members, each of thermoplastic material, each of said members being substantially triangular in cross-section and having substantially parallel end walls and an outstanding fin at the edges of the end and side walls of said members remote from the apices thereof, said fins being secured together to define fin seals extending along the juxtaposed side edges of the base and cover members in which the material is contained and substantially diagonally across the end Walls thereof, and a substantially U-shaped reinforcement in the package, said reinforcement having a rectangular cross piece and a pair of rectangular legs, said cross piece extending parallel to a side wall of the package and said legs extending parallel to the end walls of the package, portions of said end walls extending from one of the members into the other member, the peripheries of said extending portions resting against the side Walls of said other member adjacent the end walls thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,700,611 Freeman Jan. 29, 1929 2,217,455 Price Oct. 8, 1940 2,549,513 Nicolle Apr. 17, 1951 2,595,708 Salfisberg May 6, 1952 2,649,392 Marshall Aug. 18, 1953 2,654,471 Salfisberg Oct. 6, 1953 2,811,817 MaJonnier Nov. 5, 1957 2,870,023 Vogt Jan. 20, 1959 2,870,583 Flax Jan. 7, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 624,084 Great Britain May 27, 1949 659,382 France Feb. 4, 1929 

